SU2 Star Isn't Your Garden-Variety Gnome

Standing just 4'0" tall, Danny Woodburn can state with great certainty that there are, in fact, small roles. Since the actor broke into showbiz a decade ago, his career has been full of 'em, from Tony the Elf in 1996's Jingle All the Way to Kramer's diminutive rival, Mickey Abbott, on Seinfeld. However, when Special Unit 2 offered him a part that was a little supernatural  that of Carl the Gnome  he expressed a few big concerns.

"I had some trepidation originally," he confirms for TV Guide Online. "But I justified [coming onboard by reminding myself] that I was not going to be the only one in makeup. There are creatures-of-the-week from all different walks of life, in all shapes and sizes.

"Plus, I realized that this character is sort of like a Neelix from Star Trek," he adds. "Only cooler."

Ironically, Star Trek has done more than convince Woodburn to sign on with SU2, which he describes as a cross between Men in Black and NYPD Blue. Now that UPN has paired the classic series's spinoff, Enterprise, with SU2 (at 8 and 9 pm/ET, respectively, on Wednesdays), it is giving a boost to the genre-bending dramedy in its second season.

"It's really cool that UPN did it that way," he enthuses. "It allows us to realize that we have the same audience potential as a Star Trek. We're just the little, virginal show, but who knows what could happen?"

Indeed, a few years from now, should SU2 allow Woodburn to start living large, he easily could find himself on the sci-fi convention circuit, signing autographs in a booster seat next to Capt. James T. Kirk himself. "Me and William Shatner have the same agent," he boasts, "so I can't wait for that to happen!"